The Tait-Ervin House, also known as Countryside, is a historic plantation

Plantation

A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...

 house near Camden

Camden, Alabama

Camden is a city in Wilcox County, Alabama, United States. The population was 2,257 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town.-Geography:Camden is located at ....

, Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

. The two-story wood-frame house was built in 1855 for Robert Tait by a builder named Henry Cook. Robert was the grandson of Charles Tait

Charles Tait

Charles Tait was an American politician. A Democratic Republican, he served as a United States Senator from Georgia and later as a United States federal judge.-Early life:...

, a United States Senator

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 from Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

. The plantation was acquired after the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 by Robert Tait's sister, Sarah Asbury Tait Ervin, and her husband, Dr. Robert Hugh Ervin. Dr. Ervin served in both houses of the Alabama Legislature

Alabama Legislature

The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the Alabama House of Representatives, with 105 members, and the Alabama Senate, with 35 members...

 and was elected President Pro Tem

Pro tempore

Pro tempore , abbreviated pro tem or p.t., is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a locum tenens in the absence of a superior, such as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.Legislative...

 of the state senate in 1872. The house remained in the Ervin family until 1991, when it was sold to the Phillipi family. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

on February 24, 1995.